What Friends Are For
by RemusLupinRocks
Summary: A series of chapters that tell about the friendship of the Marauders, with more Remus and Sirius in it than the others. Note: Might be slash in future chapters.
1. What Are Friends For?

Summary: A collection of short stories focusing on the Marauders, with more Remus and Sirius in it than the others.

Rating: Teen

A/N: I wrote these a few years back, and they aren't the greatest thing I've ever written. But I like them alright. I'm thinking about retyping some of them and improving on them. Let me know what you think. And I'm thinking about making this slash of the RL/SB kind, but, once again, I want to know what you guys think of the idea.

Disclaimer: Yadayadayada, you know the drill. Don't own. Wish I could say I owned Remus, at least. But I don't.

**Chapter One- What Are Friends For?**

Everyone in the room was talking about their plans for the holidays. Everyone was looking forward to going home to spend time with their families. Everyone had loved ones waiting for them to come home for Christmas. That is, everyone except one.

Remus Lupin sat alone, away from the hustle and bustle of everyone else in the Gryffindor Common Room as they joked happily among their friends, waiting to leave. He had no friends, none that would want to talk to him for anything besides help on homework, anyway. He couldn't see the point of getting involved in a conversation where he'd be blatantly ignored. That is, until he heard the voice of a fellow first year who was standing near him.

"This is stupid!" The kid complained. Remus recognized him to be Sirius Black, a trickster and a trouble-maker. He seemed rather upset to be leaving Hogwarts. At least he has a home to go to where he's wanted, Remus thought bitterly. "Why do they care if I come home or not? Since when do they give a crap what I do, as long as it doesn't affect them? I mean it James, I hate them!"

"Hate's a strong word," Remus said quietly. Sirius and his friend, the infamous James Potter, jumped and looked up at him where he sat on a windowsill.

"But not necessarily too strong in this case," Sirius spat back furiously, obviously looking for a fight. Remus sighed and hopped down to the floor.

"How can you hate family?" He asked, though his heart wrenched as he said it. He knew only too well how. How people turn on someone in the family who is different, who is dangerous. Remus Lupin was a werewolf. That was why his parents didn't want him to come home. They had screamed, shouted at him that they didn't want to be associated with someone like him. He bit his lip and looked at the floor, blocking out the other boy's voice, as he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"Are you listen- Hey, you okay?" Sirius' voice turned to one of concern as Remus sniffed loudly. Remus didn't answer. How could he have asked a question like that when he fully hated his own family? NO! That was not true! He loved them! And that was why he hated them, because he had always thought that deep down, his parents could love him back, could overlook his condition. But they couldn't, and for that, he could never forgive them. Finally, he looked up, teary amber eyes meeting soft gray ones.

"Why do they hate you? What did you do that made them hate and despise you?" He asked quietly, shaking. "How are you different from them? Why do they hate you for something you can't help, something they can't even begin to comprehend?" As if realizing what he had just said, he tore his eyes away and pushed his way through the crowds to his dormitory.

He sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands. It wasn't fair! He thought about the first time he transformed, how he had attacked his own mother. The next morning he was hit and screamed at for something he couldn't even remember doing. Ever since then, they had locked him in the shed outside during the full moon. They left him alone, completely alone. When he had broken his own arm one night, his father had complained about how much money it would cost to go to the hospital and left Remus to deal with it on his own. At the time, he had been seven years old.

"Remus?" A quiet voice called from somewhere close by. He didn't move, even when he felt the weight of someone else sitting down next to him on his bed. "Remus?" Still, he ignored the person next to him. He heard a sigh and felt said person put his arm around his shoulders. Remus sniffed and leaned closer to the boy next to him without thinking. There was another sigh before he felt a hand running through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," he said in a small, shaky voice. The hand in his hair stopped for a second before continuing to move again.

"For what?" Remus opened his eyes and looked up into Sirius' face.

"I had no right to ask you all those things. It wasn't fair. Your family is your business, not mine, and I'm sorry if I upset you."

"Upset- Remus, it's okay. It was no big deal! I just overreacted a little! The only one you upset was yourself," Sirius added the last part quietly, but Remus still heard him. They were silent for a while, just sitting there, before Sirius asked, "Why did you get so upset? You don't get along with your family, either?" Remus shook his head. "Why not?"

"I-It's complicated," Remus said hesitantly. He hardly knew this boy, he wasn't about to tell him about his problem! "Let's just say... I'm not like them. I... I'm more dangerous than them. They're afraid of anyone finding out that someone like me is their son." He looked up at Sirius again. "What about you?"

"My family is one of those old pureblood families that thinks they're better than people who are half-blood or less. It drives me crazy! I'm always out playing with Muggles, just to spite them! They seem to think there's still hope for me... Yeah, right! They'll never make me like them, never!" He grinned down at Remus, though his eyes were full of pain. "You and I are sorta alike, aren't we?" Remus smiled back. Just then, a voice echoed throughout the room.

"Students, please make your way down to the Entrance Hall to be taken to the train. All students who are going home for the holidays, report to the Entrance Hall."

"You better go," Remus muttered, sitting up and trying to pull away from the other boy, but Sirius didn't let go.

"Aren't you going?" He asked. Remus shook his head. "Then neither am I!"

"Sirius, my parents told me to stay here for Christmas! Your family wants you home!" Remus argued. A dark, closed expression came to Sirius' face.

"Hogwarts is my home. The only one I've got," Sirius fixed Remus with a steady look. "I'm staying, too. They have no control over what I do! They don't own me!"

"Sirius-"

"Besides," Sirius grinned again, this time all signs of his earlier emotions gone. It wasn't until later that Remus got used to him masking his emotions from everyone else. "Who'd keep you company, the ghosts? Or, dare I say it, the teachers?!" He shuddered at the thought. "Come on, let's go for a walk or something!" Remus laughed at the boy's eagerness and allowed himself to be dragged outside.

The snow was deeper than it looked. Sirius was wading through it when Remus tackled him from behind and shoved him face first into it. Sirius retaliated by shoving a handful of snow down Remus' shirt. An hour later, the boys made their way back up to the school, freezing and dripping wet. After quickly changing their clothes, they headed down to the Great Hall for dinner. They were the only ones there, besides the teachers.

"Mr. Black, I thought you were leaving today!" McGonagall exclaimed. Remus noted that she sounded frightened of all the terrifying things that having Sirius Black stay at Hogwarts would most likely guarantee to happen.

"Yeah, well," Sirius grinned and threw his arm around Remus' shoulders. "What are friends for? I wasn't about to let him be all alone with you, he might get ideas!" With a roguish wink at Remus, the two sat down and started eating. Remus chewed happily as he thought about Sirius' words. Friends. He smiled as he realized how much that one word meant to him. Something must have shown on his face, because at that moment, Sirius gave him an odd look and asked with a smirk, "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing," Remus replied airily. Sirius could never understand what his friendship meant to him.

"You're just thinking about what I said about you and McGonagall," Sirius winked. "Say, speaking of our dear professor," he lowered his voice. "Would you help me with a little, er, surprise I have in store for her? She'd never expect you..."

"What do you want me to do?" Remus asked quietly, grinning. This was going to be the greatest Christmas ever!


	2. Confrontations

A/N: Just so you know, this was actually the first one of the series that I wrote.

**Chapter Two- Confrontations**

"What's wrong?" Sirius Black asked Remus Lupin, one of his best friends. Remus, who had been staring off into space, jumped and turned to look at him. Sirius couldn't help but notice how pale he looked.

"I'm fine," Remus assured him, though his voice shook. "Just not feeling too well..."

"If you're sick, you aren't fine!" James Potter, another one of their friends, said firmly.

"Guys, _really_! I'm _fine_!" Remus squirmed away from them and bolted out of the room, grabbing his cloak off the back of his chair as he went.

The truth was he wasn't fine. He was as not fine as possible. Remus shuddered and pulled his cloak tighter around himself, despite the eighty degree weather. He desperately wanted to tell them. He despised lying to them like that, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them, couldn't bear to see the looks of horror on their faces.

Remus Lupin was a werewolf. The full moon was that very night. Of course he wasn't fine! Once a month, he went through intense pain and torture before turning into a monster. How could he be fine, when he had been shunned all his life?

That was the reason he didn't tell his friends. He smiled to himself, relishing the fact that he actually _had _friends. He cared about them so much, he had to hide it from them. If they found out... if they abandoned him like everyone else had... that would just be too much for him to handle. He sighed and sat down on a bench on the grounds. He would have to hide from the world forever.

Remus had no way of knowing that, at that moment, James, Sirius, and Peter Pettigrew, another friend, were discussing the very thing he feared that they would find out.

"So," Sirius said slowly. "Remus is a werewolf." He punched the arm of the couch. "Why didn't he tell us?"

"Would you want anyone to know if it was _you _that was a werewolf?" James asked sadly.

"We should go find him," Peter said suddenly. "Tell him we know the truth."

"Let's go," Sirius growled as they walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Remus blinked and took a step back. He had been just about to go back inside when the door opened and Sirius, James, and Peter came out.

"Where you guys going?" He asked.

"We know," Sirius said without preamble. He looked furious, as did James and Peter.

"Kn-know?" He asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "Know what?"

"Your mother sure is sick a lot, considering she always looks perfectly healthy," James crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him.

"I, er, well-" Remus stuttered.

"Friends don't keep things from each other," Peter said quietly. "You should have told us."

"T-told you what?" Remus asked nervously. Sirius, who had been holding his tongue, snapped.

"Look, we know what you are, okay? You're a werewolf!"

Remus turned on his heels and ran. This was _exactly_ why he hadn't told them.

"W-wait!" James called after him. He could hear footsteps behind him, but just kept running. That is, until-

"Ooof!" Remus fell over and landed on his back as Sirius tackled him. He tried to get up, but Sirius held him down.

"What pisses _me _off," he told Remus casually, "is that you didn't trust us enough to tell us what was going on."

"Why, so you could start avoiding me earlier?" Remus asked before he thought about what he was saying. James and Peter were kneeling on the ground next to them, watching him carefully.

"You've been shunned all your life because of this, haven't you?" Sirius asked softly, loosening his hold on Remus. Remus just nodded.

"You thought we'd leave you because of something like this?" James asked in mock disgust. "What do you take us for, _Slytherins_?" Remus laughed.

"Of course not! I just didn't want you to leave me like everyone else…." He looked down, sighing softly.

"We should get back up to the castle," Sirius said suddenly, pulling Remus to his feet. "We're going to miss dinner!"

"I, er, have to go," Remus muttered. "Full moon tonight."

"Oh," Sirius gave him a hug. "See you tomorrow, mate!" James grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. Peter smiled at him.

"Maybe I can show you where I go tomorrow, too!" Remus said thoughtfully.

"And where would that be?" James asked mischievously.

"The Whomping Willow," Remus turned and headed towards the tree.

"Oi, I'm calling you Moony from now on!" Sirius called after him cheerfully.

Remus smiled. His friends knew and they hadn't turned on him! He wished he would have told them. And now he had nothing to hide from them.


	3. Animagi

**Animagi**

"_Moony_! It's _weekend_!"

Remus ignored his friend completely, concentrating on his Potions homework. Sirius, who hated being ignored, huffed loudly and sat down on the bed next to him. Finally, Remus looked up.

"What do you want now?"

"It's the weekend, Moony! Students who are normally stuck inside are out frolicking around the grounds, listening to the birds tweeting and feeling the sun in their face," Sirius nudged him in the side. "Put that rubbish away and come play outside with us!"

"I can't! This is do on Monday! I missed _way_ too much!" Remus ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"So? Come on, James and I'll let you borrow ours!" Remus glared at him. Sirius sighed, knowing that Remus wouldn't be caught dead copying someone else's paper. "Fine, be that way!"

He stood up and stomped out of the room. Remus knew instantly that something was up. Sirius _never_ gave up without a fight. Oh, well. Now he could finish his work in peace.

"Is he doin' homework?" James asked as Sirius came down the stone steps leading to the boys dormitories.

"Yeah," Sirius' face broke into a grin. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Yeah," James' face broke into an identical grin.

"Should we get started, then?" Peter asked.

"Yeah!" Sirius and James both exclaimed. Peter hurriedly shushed them, nodding towards the portrait hole. The three boys excitedly left the room.

Sirius couldn't believe it! After two years of watching Remus suffer and not being able to do anything about it, they were now actually doing it! He smiled as he remembered.

It had been James' idea. He had been the one to do all of the research. Sirius had spent his time distracting Remus from what he was doing. Peter had... done absolutely nothing. However, James had come to the conclusion that werewolves were only dangerous to humans. As animals, they would be less likely to be attacked and when bitten, nothing would happen to them. They could spend full moons with him, to keep him from being lonely and prevent himself from hurting himself as much as possible. That's when they had decided to become Animagi. The best part was, Remus had no clue what was going on. They had been practicing a lot lately. Their goal was to be able to transform before his birthday, which was only a few days away.

"Okay, so let's try this again," James muttered. The three of them were hidden in a cluster of trees near Hagrid's hut. As Hagrid was currently up at the school, they had nothing to worry about. Sirius concentrated hard on his form. Black dog. Claws. Sharp teeth. Padded feet. He seemed to be shrinking.

Peter gasped. "James, look at Sirius! Look at him, James!" James looked over at Sirius with his jaw hanging open.

"Looks like you did it, Sirius!" he grinned. The giant black dog that now stood where the fifteen-year-old teenager used to be barked happily, wagging his tail, before turning back into a human.

"Now _that _was fun!" he cried. "Guy's, you gottta try that!" James adopted a look of deep concentration on his face before turning into a majestic stag. A few seconds later, he returned to normal.

"Cool!" he grinned.

It took them the next few hours to help Peter, but finally the boy managed to turn into a rat and back.

"God, I can't wait to show Moony!" Sirius sighed happily as they made their way up to the castle.

"About that," James stopped dead, causing Peter to bump into him and fall on his butt on the hard ground. "We're going to tell him as a 'Happy Birthday' present-like thing, right?" Sirius nodded, both boys ignoring Peter as he struggled to his feet. "Well, I've got an idea that is really, really mean."

"Like what," Sirius said hesitantly. He despised the idea of being cruel to Remus, especially after everything he had gone through. As James told him his idea, however, a grin came to his face. "We'll apologize later, though, right?"

"Of course! Now come on, he's gonna start to wonder where we are!" James smirked and started running, Sirius right next to him. Peter ran out after them, feeling out of breath as he did so.


	4. Happy Birthday!

**Happy Birthday!**

"Moony?" Sirius sniggered, poking his friend awake. "_Mooooony..._" Remus groaned, and told Sirius to go somewhere not-so-nice. Sirius just laughed harder. "Come on, sleepy butt! Get up!" Remus raised his head to look at him and calmly told him to go _do_ something not-so-nice. Sirius huffed. "Prongs, Moony's being mean!"

"Aw, must have something to do with his PMS," James said sympathetically. "Is that what's wrong, Moony? You never swear this much!"

"I don't see _you _being prodded awake by a poke-happy, mentally unstable friend of yours!" Remus muttered as he sat up slowly. "And I do _not _have PMS!"

"Riiiiight! I understand," Sirius said in an almost violating voice. Remus rolled his eyes, then grinned. Today was his sixteenth birthday! And, best of all, it was a Saturday! He could hardly wait! Suddenly, he found himself wishing Sirius had woken him up sooner.

"Well, we all know what today is!" James announced dramatically. Peter grinned and hurried over to them. "Today is the day Evans will _finally _agree to go out with me!" Remus snorted. That's what he always said!

"And?" he pressed eagerly. James looked taken aback.

"And? Why else would today be important?"

"Alright, stop messing around, you know what day it is!" Remus grinned. He failed to notice Peter stifling laughter with his fist, or Sirius looking pointedly anywhere but at him.

"Look, Moony, I don't remember anything else about today that would concern me or these guys. Is it a werewolf thing?"

"I don't remember anything, either!" Peter happily pulled on his socks.

"W-what?" Remus was confused. What did a birthday have to do with being a werewolf?

"It's March 10, remember," Sirius growled, furious. Unfortunately, Remus failed to notice how upset Sirius was getting, and was merely confused at the befuddled look on James' face.

"Why would I care?" James asked. "It doesn't have anything to do with any of us!" The truth hit Remus like a fist: They had forgotten. That or they simply didn't care, didn't think him important enough of a reason to celebrate. He slowly stood up and walked out of the room.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Peter called. "Jeez, you act like it's somebody's birthday or something!" Remus stiffened and slammed the door behind him. Peter giggled, until Sirius grabbed him by the front of his robes and pinned him against the wall.

"What the _Hell _is your problem?"

"Sirius, let him go!" James shouted. Disgusted, Sirius threw Peter away from him and turned on James.

"And you! I know we're supposed to act like we've forgotten and all that, but do you really have to make him feel like complete shit?"

"Speaking of which, I don't see _you _acting like _you've _forgotten," James replied in a smug voice. Sirius sighed and shook his head.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry, but I just can't treat him like this! That's not what friends do-"

"Sirius, he'll understand everything later!" Peter interrupted, then cowered at the look Sirius sent him before turning back to James.

"I know it's all a bluff, but Remus _doesn't_! How would you feel if the rest of us forgot _your_ birthday?" James suddenly found the cuff of his sleeve very interesting and didn't reply.

"You act like you love him or something," he muttered at last, grinning. Sirius sent him a Don't-Joke-About-Things-Like-That-It's-Not-Funny look and he hastily added, "Okay then, why don't you go talk to him and stuff, so he doesn't feel so bad. But don't tell him that we remember!" Sirius nodded and flew from the room.

There was only one problem: He had no clue where Remus would be. He searched everywhere he could think of before it came to him: The library. With so many books, along with the quietness, the Hogwarts library had become a sort of a sanctuary for Remus.

Sirius entered the large room and looked around at the million of books. He walked with purpose towards the back and turned a corner. Sure enough, Remus sat at a small table, staring at the book in front of him as though he couldn't really see it. He seemed to not even have realized that Sirius was standing behind him. Smirking, Sirius walked closer, singing under his breath.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Remus jumped and looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Happy birthday dear Remie! Happy birthday to you!" He smiled as he sat down next to him.

"Y-you remembered!" Remus stuttered. Sirius threw his arm around him.

"Of course I did! How could I forget the day my ickle werewolf all growed up?" Remus glared at him for a few seconds before he grinned and hugged him back.

"God, I'm so glad!" he muttered into Sirius' shoulder. "I thought _all _of my so-called-friends had forgotten!" Sirius seemed to stiffen.

"What do you mean, 'so-called-friends'?" To his horror, Remus burst into tears. He awkwardly put his arms around Remus as the boy moved closer, holding onto him for dear life. Awkwardly still, Sirius began to run his hand through the werewolf's hair, smiling slightly as he realized something.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?" he asked. When Remus shook his head slowly, he continued. "First year." Remus gave a short laugh as he smiled up at him.

"But this time it's not about our families at all, is it?" The smiles faded off both of their faces.

"'I'm not like them. I'm more dangerous than them. They're afraid of anyone finding out that someone like me is their son.'" Sirius said softly, quoting what Remus had told him little less than four years ago. Remus was stunned that he had remembered exactly what he had said. He looked at the floor suddenly, as he, too, remembered that day better. Everything that Sirius had told _him_. Sirius had never spoken of his family again to anyone, not even Remus, but thinking back now, Remus could picture once more the pain that had once been present in his friend's eyes back then, the pain that he had since hid from the world beneath a mask. He decided that it wasn't strange at all that Sirius had remembered, for he himself could recall every word of Sirius' speech.

"You meant being a werewolf, didn't you?" Sirius said suddenly. "God, even your parents used that against you?!" Here, Remus started crying again, and once more buried his face in Sirius' shoulder.

"I...sorry..." he muttered, but Sirius shushed him.

"Shut up, you prat, it's okay! It's okay."

"Did-did it ever get better for you?" Remus asked as he pulled away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Seeing Sirius' blank look, he added. "You know, with _your_ family?" Sirius stiffened and pulled away from him completely, refusing to look at him.

"What does it matter?" he mumbled. "It's not like you can do anything about it."

"But I can try," Remus told him firmly. Sirius reluctantly looked at him.

"No, it's not any better, happy?" he snapped, ignoring the scandalized look the other students in the room gave him along with the frantic hushing noises Remus made. "I'm still nothing but shit to my mother, and don't even get me started on my fath-"

"Mr. Black!" came Madam Pince's angry voice. "I will not tolerate shouting in the library! Please be quiet, and keep the obscenities to a minimum."

"Come on," Remus grabbed Sirius' hand and dragged him out of the room. Once outside, he spun around so that he was facing him. "Look, Sirius, I don't care if there's nothing I can do! I. Want. To. Know! You shouldn't have to deal with this by yourself!"

"I've done alright so far," Sirius sighed. "I don't need help now."

"Call it a birthday present," Remus pressed. "Just, please, let me help you! I know you can deal with it, but there are some things that no one should have to go through alone!"

"Okay," Sirius muttered, looking at the floor. "I-I'll try." Remus smiled.

"Good."

They had just reached the Fat Lady when Sirius abruptly stopped.

"They...they want me back for Christmas again this year. They do every year, and every year I..." he gulped loudly, "p-pay for not going back."

"Then maybe you should this year," Remus suggested. "I'll be alright, I'm sure I can find something to do without you honoring me with your presence. There's always McGonagall." He tried to smile at the old joke, but it ended up looking rather fake.

"You could come with me," Sirius grinned suddenly as if struck by inspiration. "That's it, Moony! Come with me! It'd be easier to stomach if one of my bestest friends in the world was there with me..."

"Sirius, your parents don't sound like the sort that would want me there." Remus lowered his voice. "Me being a half-blood werewolf and all."

"They don't need to know about you being a werewolf," Sirius said eagerly. "As for being half-blood, they'll just be glad I didn't invite a Muggleborn! Besides," he pouted at him. "You said you wanted to help me!"

"That I did," Remus smiled. "Alright, I'll go with you!"'

"Sometimes, I think I love you!" He joked and glanced at Remus before giving the Fat Lady the password. "Happy sweet sixteen, Remus!" As the portrait opened, he grinned at Remus's dumbfounded face before shoving him in first.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" James and Peter ran over and tackled him, blowing noise makers at him and shoving a birthday hat onto his head. Remus gaped at them, then at the room. A large banner read "Happy Birthday Moony!" and streamers of his favorite colors hung all over the room. A small table had been set up with chocolate cake and ice cream (his favorites), along with bottles of what looked suspiciously like firewhiskey.

"Y-you all-" Remus burst into tears for the third time that day. This time, however, Sirius wasn't the only one that pulled him into a hug. Once he had calmed down, he grinned at the three of them, who beamed back at him.

"And best of all, seeing as it's Saturday, we're the only ones here!" James exclaimed. Then he looked sheepish. "Sorry about this morning, mate, but we had to set everything up!"

"I love you guys!" Remus whispered as he looked around the room once more. His smile faltered, however, when he got a closer look at the cake. There was a dark blue picture of a full moon, with the outline of four animals in front of it. He realized that one was a wolf, the others a dog, stag, and rat. As he watched, a cloud drifted over the moon. The wolf and the dog both howled at it. Before he could ask what they meant, however, he felt something wet touch his hand. He gasped and looked down to see an enormous black dog that looked exactly like the one on the cake nuzzling his hand. Looking up he saw a stag standing where James had just been, a rat balancing precariously on its antlers. He shook his head slowly, disbelievingly. They wouldn't have...

"No way," he said quietly. "This can't be happening! You can't have..." The dog gave a bark that sounded oddly like Sirius' laugh. "Oh God, you did. You did!" The three animals in front of him transformed back into his three friends.

"And we plan on spending the next full moon with you!" James grinned. Remus didn't know what to say. And here he had thought they had forgot!

"And don't worry, we'll be perfectly safe!" Peter added. "As you know, a werewolf is only dangerous to other humans."

"You said yourself there are some things people shouldn't deal with alone," Sirius said quietly. "If this isn't one of those things, then I'm a flobberworm!"

"You _are _fat and slimy," James pointed out with a grin.

"And you _do _flollop around in the manner of which only a swamp mattress can," Remus added. Sirius flipped them both off with a grin.

"Now, if you're both done insulting me, let's get ready to partay!"


	5. Black Mistakes

**Black Mistakes**

Remus was growing more and more nervous as the train hurtled through the countryside. Agreeing to go home with Sirius had seemed a great idea at the time, but now he was starting to get worried. Sirius had written home first thing the next morning (after the hangover wore off) telling his parents he wanted to bring a friend with him. His parents had written back almost immediately. When asked what they said, Sirius quickly shoved the letter into his pocket and out of their sight, assuring them that his parents were fine with that and that they, surprisingly enough, hadn't even commented on Remus being half-blood. Remus supposed they were just glad to finally get their eldest son to come home. He sighed, worrying about what would happen when they got to the station. And, why hadn't Sirius let them see the letter? Was he trying to hide something?

The others were laughing at something James had just said, but Remus really wasn't paying attention. He shuddered and kept going over horrible scenarios in his head. All of them seemed to end with maim and torture.

"What if your parents hate me?" he said suddenly.

"They hate everyone!" Sirius waved him aside. "Don't worry about it, I sure as hell don't!"

"What if they really, _really _hate me, though?" Remus continued as if Sirius had said nothing at all. "What if they try to kill me? What if they really _do _kill me? What if-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Sirius shouted. "Trust me Moony, I won't let anything like that happen! Stop worrying!" He calmed down a little, trying not to think about the letter, and smiled. "Just relax, Moony, it's almost Christmas! No matter what they think or do, we're going to have a great time! Just enjoy yourself." James and Peter nodded. Remus gave a small smile as the train slowed to a stop.

After they had both bid James and Peter good-bye, Sirius led him over to his parents, dragging both of their trunks behind him. Remus had reluctantly let him take his.

"I'm just saying I could've just gotten it myself," he muttered.

"And I said I wanted to, so tough luck, deal with it!" Sirius scoffed. He stopped suddenly. "Hello, Mum, Dad." Remus also stopped and looked at Sirius's parents. His father nodded in greeting, and his mother smiled.

"And this must be Mr. Lupin, correct?" Mr. Black asked, turning his attention to Remus.

"Yes, sir," Remus said quietly, not knowing quite how to act. Mr. Black snorted.

"At least _someone _around here knows proper manners!" he glared at Sirius before holding his hand out to

Remus. "I am Orion Black."

"Remus Lupin," Remus muttered, shaking his hand.

"You're a shy one, aren't you boy?" Orion laughed. Sirius looked at Remus nervously, but Remus just smiled. He

honestly could not tell why Sirius was acting like a bomb was about to go off.

"Trust me, sir, I am anything _but _shy!" This time, all three Blacks laughed. Orion moved over so his wife could meet him.

"Walburga Black," she announced, holding out her hand. Remus took it in his and kissed it.

"Ma'am."

Walburga seemed impressed. "You pick friend's with taste, Sirius! I forget for a moment that he isn't pureblood!" Remus, unsure if that was a compliment or not, just smiled. Sirius, who, though he would never admit it, was starting to become extremely worried about how his parents would treat his best friend, forced a grin.

"Should we go, then?" he asked. His mother nodded.

"Regelus is staying at the school. We told him he could stay this year, seeing as _he _always came home other years!"

"Sirius," Remus said sternly all of a sudden. "I can get it myself." Sirius, who had just grabbed Remus's trunk again, smirked at him.

"I find that difficult to believe."

"I'm surprised you don't find more things difficult, now give me it."

"No."

"Sirius," Walburga said suddenly. "Don't you think-"

"No," Remus interrupted. "He never does." Sirius's jaw dropped in mock anger. Both boys seemed to temporarily forget that the Blacks were standing with them.

"That was hurtful, Moony!"

"Not as hurtful as what I'll do next if you don't let me carry my own trunk." Sirius huffed and handed it to him. "Thank you."

Remus and Sirius glared at each other for a moment before both burst out laughing. Walburga and Orion both looked shocked as the hysterical teenagers leaned against each other for support.

"W-what's so funny?" Remus gasped as he put his arm around Sirius to steady himself.

"Damned if I know!" Sirius laughed.

"Perhaps we should get back to the house now," Orion said slowly, staring at them. Both nodded and immediately straightened up.

"So how are we getting there? Sir?" Remus asked curiously, while Sirius looked suddenly solemn.

"A little walk won't harm none of us, will it?" Orion asked, eyebrow raised. Remus fought the urge to correct his extremely incorrect grammar, while Sirius groaned.

"It's not that little of a walk!"

"In that case," Remus waved his wand, and both trunks disappeared. "One less thing to deal with."

"You're _sure _you're half-blood, aren't you, honey?" Walburga asked. Remus smiled. Now _that _he could take as a compliment.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, no matter, you're still a respectable young man!" she smiled. The four of them set out for 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius was right, it _wasn't _a little walk! By the time they arrived, Remus and Sirius were both gasping for breath. Walburga seemed exhausted as well, but Orion was unfazed.

"Sirius, show Remus to your room," he ordered. Remus groaned when he caught sight of all of the steps. With a grin, Sirius quickly grabbed Remus's hand and pulled.

"Come on!"

When they passed the House Elf heads that had been mounted on the wall, Remus raised his eyebrow at him, but wisely refrained from commenting. Finally, Sirius stopped on one of the landings.

"Welcome to my room," he said in a solemn voice, bowing deeply as he opened the door. Snickering, he shoved his friend into the room. "'Tis a little dreary, but you get used to it."

Remus looked around at his surroundings. It was a high-ceilinged room with twin beds. The whole feeling of the room was dank and dark, but he didn't especially mind. The walls were covered in a gray wallpaper, and the carpet was a dark green. A blank stretch of canvas hung over the wall near one of the beds. A large oak dresser sat against the wall, and a desk and chair were shoved into the corner. He turned back to Sirius, who was watching him apprehensively.

"Look," he said before Remus could even open his mouth. "You have to realize that my whole family is pretty Dark. This is actually one of the better rooms. Hell, you should see where Regelus or my parents sleep! And I mean it, you really _do _get used to it, and-"

"Sirius!" Remus said loudly, cutting him off. "It's fine! Really, I couldn't care less what it looks like! I didn't come for the room, I came to keep you company."

"That's another thing," Sirius locked the door behind him, and cast a strong Silence Charm around the room so they wouldn't be overheard. "We have to talk about my parents. I-I know I haven't told you much about them, but...God, Remus, they're horrible! Oh yes, they seem nice now," he added as though sensing what Remus was thinking. "But give them time to get used to having you around, then they'll turn ugly."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked. Sirius got very quiet. "Sirius, come on, you have to tell me what they do!" Sirius shook his head. With a swish of his wand, he canceled out the Silence Charm.

"I'm afraid you'll see soon enough."

"Boys!" Walburga's voice called up the stairs, and Remus saw Sirius cringe. "Time to eat!"

"You don't know what you've gotten yourself in for," the Animagus muttered as they climbed down the stairs. "How thick can I possibly be, inviting you here? I mean it, Moony, this is the worst mistake I've ever made in my entire life! Don't get me wrong, you know I love ya and everything and think it's great that we can still spend Christmas together, it's just now...God, what if he makes good on his threat?" Before Remus could ask what he meant, however, Walburga had seized his arm and was pulling him toward the door that led to the basement. He tried to ignore the way Sirius had winced when she grabbed his arm, too, and merely sat down at the table. Sirius jerked his arm out of his mother's clutches and sat next to him, moving his chair so that he would be closer to Remus than his father. Remus gave him a questioning look, but Sirius just shook his head.

"Great dinner, Mrs. Black," Remus said politely after the delicious dinner had been served: steak, potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob. "Thank you both for allowing me to spend the holidays here with your family."

"Oh, nonsense!" Orion dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it! No big deal, no big deal. I'm surprised slightly you wanted to come after some of the little tales I'm sure _he _must have told you!" At this last comment, he jerked his head in Sirius's direction. Remus grabbed Sirius's hand under the table and squeezed it reassuringly as the boy tensed and moved his chair farther away from his father.

"I can assure you, Mr. Black, that I have never once in my life heard Sirius tell anybody any 'tales' about his home life. Perhaps you should pay more attention to the way you word things, sir, it almost sounded like you've done something that you're hiding from me." There was an odd, uneasy silence in the room before Walburga cleared her throat loudly.

"So, Remus, how are you enjoying Hogwarts this year?"

That started a long conversation about the school, one that, Remus noticed, Sirius failed to take part in. In fact, he simply sat there, picking at his food, sending terrified glances at his father every now and then and squeezing Remus's hand whenever the man looked over at the lycanthrope. Remus, however, thought that the meal had gone fairly smooth, all things considered.

That is, until the end.

"Actually, I should be thanking you," Oron said suddenly, remembering the conversation at the beginning of the meal. "You were the one that convinced Sirius-" Remus did not fail to notice how Sirius jumped when his father said his name, or that he could no longer feel his hand, his friend was gripping it so tight, as though it were his only life line. Nor was it possible to ignore the fact that Sirius was practically sitting on his lap, he was so desperate to get away from the man sitting on his other side. "-to come home." He patted his son on the leg, and Remus felt the palm of his hand start to bleed as Sirius dug his fingernails into it.

"Don't...Touch...Me!" he growled under his breath through gritted teeth, squirming in his seat.

"What was that, boy?" Orion asked softly, playing with his son's hair affectionately. Sirius leaned away from him...and ended up falling onto Remus. Muttering apologies, he quickly got back into his own chair and let go of Remus's hand as his father smirked at him. Something was wrong here, very wrong. Remus didn't have to be a genius to figure that one out. There was something wrong with the way Orion was now gazing at his son, with that odd emotion in his eyes. Longing. Passion. Realization hit Remus like a fist and his goblet fell out of his hand, clattering to the floor. Thankfully, this redirected Orion's attention and he quickly waved his wand, cleaning up the mess.

"You all right there, Remus? You look like you've seen a werewolf!" He laughed. Remus put his now bleeding hand on Sirius's shoulder to restrain him, ignoring how his best friend winced and tried to pull away from him.

"What reason would I possibly have to fear something that I am?" Walburga gasped, while Sirius stopped struggling enough to stare at him. Orion, however, didn't do anything, just sat there staring at him with that same look in his eyes as when he watched his son.

"You…you can't be serious!" Walburga cried.

"I am." Remus said firmly, not taking his eyes off of the monstrosity of a man in front of him..

"I shouldn't have made the mistake, of course, to assume that my son would have normal, _human_ friends."

Remus forced himself to remain calm, to speak calmly to the man who had made his best friend's life hell.

"You beat and rape your own son. Tell me, which one of us is more human?"

Everyone in the room gasped. Remus stood up and, keeping his arm around Sirius's shoulders, led him out of the kitchen and up to his own bedroom. It was only when the door had been locked and a Silence Charm placed around the room that Sirius broke down and buried his face in Remus's shoulder.

"How did you know?" he sobbed.

"I just went by the way the bastard looked like he was going to ravish you at any given second," Remus whispered into his best friend's hair. He sighed, knowing that he was complete and utter shite at comforting people. It was then that he noticed a large bruise on Sirius's forehead. "Did he do that, too?" He touched it gently, and Sirius winced as he nodded. "Shh, it's okay, Siri, it's okay!" After a few minutes, Sirius pulled away, and gave a humorless laugh, pointing at Remus's shirt, which was soaked.

"Sorry about that, mate," he sniffed and rubbed his teary eyes. Then, a small, sad smile came to his face. "Congratulations, you're the only person to ever see me cry besides my-my parents."

"Let's admit it, no one can mask their feelings for long, not even the high and mighty Sirius Black." Sirius gave a short laugh and looked down at his hands.

"I can't believe you told him off like that. I mean, I-I've wanted to fight back for so long and I just...I couldn't. I wanted to, God I wanted to fight him for so long now, but...And Mum wasn't any help..."

"You never have to worry about him again," Remus told him firmly. "What he's doing to you is _illegal_, Sirius, and if he can do something like that to his own son, he can do it just as easily to others. We can have him put in jail for this!"

"No we can't," Sirius said in a deadpan voice that scared him. "He has the Ministry in his pocket, he's paid them off so many times. They'll never hear a word against him."

"Somehow I doubt, however, that the same can be said for the _Muggle _Ministry?" Remus smirked as Sirius looked up at him, wide eyed. Of course. Adolpus Black may have spent much of his time buying his way onto the wizarding world's good side, but had neglected to do so with the Muggle world.

"He'll be charged as a Muggle," Sirius said quietly. "And locked up in a _Muggle_ prison! Can you imagine the look on his face when he hears he's doomed to spend the rest of his life as a _Muggle inmate_?!" Sirius laughed, then abruptly looked at his feet again, silent.

"S-Sirius?" Remus asked, concerned.

"He was going to do the same thing to you next, he told me in the letter he sent me this morning. That's why I was so upset and jumpy earlier. I..."

"Yes?" Remus pressed gently.

"I couldn't bear to have that happen. That's my Boggart, you know, m-my greatest fear. You and James going through what I do with him."

"Oh, Padfoot..." Remus hugged him again before grinning. "Now, let's get down to the Muggle courthouse, the one right here in London. We're close enough as it is, we may as well start now."

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Sirius said in awe as he pulled a jacket on.

"Doing what?" Remus pulled on his own. He unlocked the door and headed out, Sirius right behind him.

"Taking my dad to court." Remus stopped abruptly, turning around so that he was facing his best friend.

"We aren't going to let him get away with what he did to you, do you understand me?" He growled in his I'm-a-werewolf-and-could-kill-you-like-_that_-if-I-wanted-to voice.

"Yeah," Sirius poked him to keep him moving. "I just never thought I'd be able to do something like this!" Remus laughed softly.

"When in doubt, phone the police!"

"Amen to that!" Sirius laughed as they walked out the front door and into the sunlit street. Remus laughed and made a snowball, effectively hitting Sirius between the shoulder blades. Sirius hit him back, directly in the face.

"Today is our anniversary!" He said suddenly. Remus raised his eyebrow at him as two passing twelve-year-olds stopped to stare at the two of them, whispering to each other behind their hands.

"You do know what that sounded like, don't you dear Padders?" Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

"You dunderhead, I meant that exactly five years ago today, you and I were frolicking about in the snow at Hogwarts. That was the day we first became friends, remember?" Remus sighed dramatically.

"Oh, if only I'd known back then what a handful you'd be," he smiled suddenly and put his arm around Sirius's shoulders. "Then I would've known that it was all worthwhile!"

"Aww! That just touched the cockles of my soul, Moony!" Sirius sniffed loudly, then began snickering. "Heh-heh, cockles!" Remus just shook his head.

"I knew I never should have taught you that."

"Aye, but you did, and it's too late to change now," Sirius sighed happily as the two of them kept walking. He wondered briefly what would happen when all of this was over, but decided he didn't care. No matter what, he had Remus and James. And after all, what were friends for?


End file.
